CHAPTER – 1 ACCIDENTS IN INDIA

Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India 2015 [1]

CHAPTER – 1

ACCIDENTS IN INDIA

Introduction

An accident is an unplanned event that results in injury, deaths, damage to property or some other losses. For statistical purpose, Accidental Deaths have been classified as deaths that could be due to forces/factors of the nature which have been termed as ‘Natural Accidental Deaths’ or could be due to deliberate or negligent conduct of human beings, which is termed as ‘Un-natural Accidental Deaths’ or due to causes not covered in the above two categories and with no initial apparent cause of deaths which have been categorised as ‘Other Causes of Deaths’ like poisoning, sudden death etc.

This is the second edition of the report

after the completion of comprehensive revision of the proformae for data collection of ‘Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India’ completed in 2014 in consultation with Ministry of Home Affairs, States/UTs Police and others stakeholders.

Number and Rate of Accidental Deaths during the Decade (2005-2015)

The accidental deaths is having an increasing trend during the period from 2005 - 2014 with a slight decline in the year 2015. However, an overall increase of 40.5% in accidental deaths was reported during 2015 in comparison with 2005. The population growth during the period from 2005 - 2015 was 14.2% whereas the increase in the rate of accidental deaths during the same period was 22.8%. The percentage change of accidental deaths is presented in Table-1.1.

A total of 4,13,457 accidental deaths were reported in the country during 2015 showing a decrease of 8.5% in comparison to 2014 and 9.6% decrease in the rate of ‘Accidental Deaths’ in 2015 in comparison to the year 2014 [Table-1(A)].

Table – 1 (A) Percentage Change in Population, Number and Rate of Accidental Deaths over the Corresponding Previous Year during 2011 to 2015

Year Percentage Change in

Population over the Previous Year

Percentage Change in Accidental Deaths over

the Previous Year

Percentage Change in Rate of Accidental Deaths over

the Previous Year (1) (2) (3) (4)

2011 2.1 1.6 -0.3

2012 0.3 1.0 0.9

2013 1.3 1.4 0.0

2014 1.2 12.8 11.3

2015 1.2 -8.5 -9.6


Figure 1.1

Percentage Change in Population, Number and Rate of Accidental Deaths during 2011 – 2015 (Over Corresponding Previous Year)

2.11.0 1.3 1.2 1.21.6 1.0 1.4

12.8

-8.5

-0.3

0.9 0.0

11.3

-9.6

-15.0

-10.0

-5.0

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Population Number Rate

Out of 4,13,457 accidental deaths,

3,36,051(81.3%) deaths were due to un-natural causes and 66,896(16.2%) deaths were due to other causes and the remaining 10,510(2.5%) deaths were due to causes attributable to forces of nature.

There was a decline of 48.0% (from 20,201

deaths in 2014 to 10,510 deaths in 2015) in deaths due to causes attributable to forces of nature and a decrease of 6.6%(from 4,31,556 deaths in 2014 to 4,02,947 deaths in 2015) in deaths due to un-natural causes during 2015 as compared to 2014 [Table-1(B)].

Table — 1 (B)

Number of Accidental Deaths by Natural & Un-natural Causes (2011 to 2015)

Year

Causes Attributable to Nature Un-natural Causes# Total Accidental Deaths

Number % Change

Over Previous Year

Number % Change

Over Previous Year

Number % Change

Over Previous Year

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

2011 23,690 –5.5 3,67,194 2.1 3,90,884 1.6

2012 22,960 –3.1 3,72,022 1.3 3,94,982 1.0

2013 22,759 –0.9 3,77,758 1.5 4,00,517 1.4

2014 20,201 -11.2 4,31,556 14.2 4,51,757 12.8

2015 10,510 -48.0 4,02,947 -6.6 4,13,457 -8.5

Note: ‘#’ also includes 1,14,728 and 66, 896 deaths due to Other Causes of Accidents for the year 2014 and 2015 respectively.


STATE/UT - WISE ACCIDENTAL DEATHS DURING 2015

Accidental Deaths

upto 200 201 to 1000 1001 to 5000 5001 to 15000 Above 15000

Map Powered by DevInfo, UNICEF


Figure 1.2 Number of Accidental Deaths by Natural, Un-natural and Other Causes during 2011-2015

,

Note: ‘*’ ‘Causes Not Known’ and ‘Other Causes’ have been excluded and now made as part of ‘Un-natural Accidents’.

Number & Rate of Accidental Deaths in States, UTs and Cities

Out of 4,13,457 accidental deaths, like previous year in 2015 also, Maharashtra has reported highest number of accidental deaths(64,566), contributing nearly one-sixth (15.6%) of total accidental deaths reported in the country. Uttar Pradesh, the most populous State in the country with population share of

17.1% has accounted for 8.9% of accidental deaths in the country. The other States having higher percentage share in total accidental deaths were Madhya Pradesh (9.8%), Tamil Nadu (8.1%), Gujarat (6.9%), Rajasthan (6.8%), Karnataka (6.4%), Chhattisgarh (4.7%), Andhra Pradesh (4.2%), and West Bengal (3.7%) during 2015 [Table-1.2]. These States had nearly similar percentage share in 2014 also.

Figure 1.3

Percentage Share of Major States in Accidental Deaths during 2015

OTHERS[24.7%]

MAHARASHTRA[15.6%]

MADHYA PRADESH[9.8%]

UTTAR PRADESH[8.9%]

TAMIL NADU[8.1%]

GUJARAT[6.9%]

RAJASTHAN[6.8%]

KARNATAKA[6.4%]

CHHATTISGARH[4.7%]

ANDHRA PRADESH[4.2%]

WEST BENGAL[3.7%]

Other States include Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Chandigarh, Goa, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, A & N Island, D&N Haveli, Daman & Diu, Delhi, Lakshadweep and Puducherry


The highest rate of accidental deaths was

reported from Chhattisgarh (75.1) followed by Puducherry (73.4), Maharashtra (54.2), Madhya Pradesh (52.7), Haryana (48.8) and Tamil Nadu (48.7) against the national average

rate of 32.8. 17 out of 36 States/UTs have reported higher rates of ‘Accidental Deaths’ as compared to All India Average of 32.8 deaths per one lakh of population [Figure– 1.4].

Figure 1.4

3.78.810.111.1

13.514.515.315.315.516.317.117.217.3

26.128.329.729.8

32.332.733.133.934.236.0

39.240.032.442.6

45.245.7

47.848.748.8

52.754.2

73.475.1

0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100.0 120.0 140.0 160.0 180.0 200.0

NAGALANDLAKSHADWEEP

BIHARMANIPUR

ASSAMTRIPURA

CHANDIGARHMEGHALAYA

JAMMU & KASHMIRWEST BENGAL

UTTAR PRADESHJHARKHAND

MIZORAMUTTARAKHAND

ARUNACHAL PRADESHD & N HAVELI

ODISHAKERALA

SIKKIMDELHI (UT)

ANDHRA PRADESHA & NISLANDS

PUNJABRAJASTHANTELANGANA

GOAKARNATAKA

DAMAN & DIUGUJARAT

HIMACHAL PRADESHTAMIL NADU

HARYANAMADHYA PRADESH

MAHARASHTRAPUDUCHERRY

CHHATTISGARH

Rate

Stat

es /

UTs

Rate of Accidental Deaths in Various States/UTs during 2015

National Average 32.8

The number of accidental deaths has

decreased by 8.5% at national level during 2015 as compared to 2014. The number of ‘Accidental Deaths’ due to causes attributable to forces of nature have decreased by 48.0% and deaths by un-natural causes (including other causes) have decreased by 6.6% during 2015 over the year 2014 [Table-1.3].

Uttarakhand has reported the highest percentage increase (121.1%) in total accidental deaths in the year 2015 as compared to 2014 (from 1,243 in 2014 to 2,748 in 2015), followed by Nagaland (49.2%), Lakshadweep (16.7%), Uttar Pradesh(11.7%), Daman and Diu (6.6%) and Andhra Pradesh (6.5%). Tripura has reported a decline of 44.7%

in total accidental deaths in the year 2015 as compared to 2014 followed by Chandigarh (41.2%), Mizoram (40.2%) and Manipur (36%) [Table-1.3].

Gender-wise analysis reveals that female and male constitute 20.6% and 79.4% of total victims respectively. 1/9th victims of accidental deaths were children (below 18 years of age).

Age group of most of the victims was between 18 to 45 years. This group of people has accounted for 59.7% of all persons killed in accidents in the country during the year 2015. A total of 37,081 senior citizens (60 years & above of age) have also got killed in various accidents during 2015 [Table-1.4].


STATE/UT - WISE RATE OF ACCIDENTAL DEATHS DURING 2015

Accidental Rate All India Average 32.8


Note: Rate of Accidental Deaths means Number of Accidental Deaths per 1,00,000 population.



Causes of Accidental Deaths

Accidental deaths have been grouped into

three broad categories i.e. ‘Accidents due to Forces of Nature (Natural Accidents), ‘Un-natural Accidents’ and ‘Deaths due to Other Causes’. Classification of types and causes of accidental deaths has been done for statistical purpose only.

Under ‘Causes Attributable to Forces of Nature’, the share of deaths due to ‘Avalanche’, ‘Exposure to Cold’, ‘Earthquake’, ‘Epidemic’, ‘Flood’, ‘Lightning’, ‘Torrential Rain’, ‘Forest Fire’ and Heat/Sun Stroke’ have increased during the year over the previous year 2014 whereas the share of causes of deaths due to ‘Cyclone’, ‘Tornado’, ‘Starvation due to Natural Calamity’, and ‘Landslide’ have decreased in 2015 over 2014.

The share of causes of deaths not

attributable to forces of nature has increased such as ‘Air-Crash’, ‘Collapse of Structure‘, ‘Electrocution’, ’Falls’, ‘Fire-arm’, ‘Traffic Accidents’, ‘Stampede’ ‘Sudden Deaths’, ‘Deaths of Women during Pregnancy’, ‘Killed by Animals’, ‘Poisoning’ and ‘Suffocation’ whereas the share of causes of deaths due to ‘Ship Accident’, ‘Drowning’, ‘Accidental Explosion’, ‘Factory/ Machine Accidents’, ‘Accidental Fire’, ‘Mines and Quarry Disaster’, ‘Deaths due to Consumption of Illicit/Spurious Liquor’ and ‘Drug Overdose’ in accidental deaths have decreased in 2015 as compared to the previous year 2014.

Cause-wise details of accidental deaths,

rate and its percentage variation during 2015 over 2014 are presented in Table-1(C).

Figure 1.5

Percentage Share of Various Major Causes of Accidental Deaths during 2015

(Natural, Un-natural and Other Causes)

Natural Causes[2.5%] Electrocution

[2.4%]

Traffic Accidents[42.9%]

Drowning[7.2%]

Sudden Deaths[8.4%]Poisoning

[6.3%]

Falls[4%]

Accidental Fire[4.2%]

Other Causes[21.7%]


@ discontinued in the year 2015 and made as part of Sl. 15 and 14 of Part-B respectively. ‘Rate’ – Refers to No. of deaths per 1,00,000 population

Table-1(C) Number, Share and Rate of Accidental Deaths by Causes Attributable to Nature, Un-natural and Other

Causes of Accidents during 2014 & 2015

Sl. No. Cause

2014 2015 % Variation during 2015 over 2014 No.

% Share (w.r.t.

All India) Rate No.

% Share (w.r.t.

All India) Rate

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) A. CAUSES ATTRIBUTABLE TO NATURE

1 Avalanche 23 0.1 0.0 38 0.4 0.0 65.2 2 Exposure to Cold 913 4.5 0.1 1149 10.9 0.1 25.8 3 Cyclone 62 0.3 0.0 15 0.1 0.0 -75.8 4 Tornado 42 0.2 0.0 13 0.1 0.0 -69.0 5 Tsunami 0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 - 6 Starvation Due to Natural Calamity 50 0.2 0.0 30 0.3 0.0 -40.0 7 Earthquake 2 0.0 0.0 92 0.9 0.0 4500.0 8 Epidemic 48 0.2 0.0 218 2.1 0.0 354.2 9 Flood 541 2.7 0.0 846 8.0 0.1 56.4

10 Heat/Sun Stroke 1248 6.2 0.1 1908 18.2 0.2 52.9 11 Landslide 499 2.5 0.0 232 2.2 0.0 -53.5 12 Lightning 2582 12.8 0.2 2641 25.1 0.2 2.3 13 Torrential Rain 156 0.8 0.0 195 1.9 0.0 25.0 14 Forest Fire 11 0.1 0.0 19 0.2 0.0 72.7 15 Other Natural Causes 14024 69.4 1.1 3114 29.6 0.2 -77.8 16 Total (A) 20201 100.0 1.6 10510 100.0 0.8 -48.0

B. UN-NATURAL CAUSES

1 Air-Crash 15 0.0 0.0 23 0.0 0.0 53.3 2 Ship Accidents 7 0.0 0.0 1 0.0 0.0 -85.7 3 Collapse of Structure 1821 0.6 0.1 1885 0.6 0.1 3.5 4 Drowning 29903 9.4 2.4 29822 8.9 2.4 -0.3 5 Electrocution 9606 3.0 0.8 9986 3.0 0.8 4.0 6 Accidental Explosion 1194 0.4 0.1 831 0.2 0.1 -30.4 7 Falls 15399 4.9 1.2 16759 5.0 1.2 8.8 8 Factory/Machine Accidents 797 0.3 0.1 695 0.2 0.1 -12.8 9 Accidental Fire 19513 6.2 1.6 17700 5.3 1.5 -9.3

10 Firearm 633 0.2 0.1 736 0.2 0.1 16.3 11 Mines or Quarry Disaster 210 0.1 0.0 118 0.0 0.0 -43.8 12 Traffic Accidents 169107 53.4 13.6 177423 52.8 13.4 4.9 13 Stampede 178 0.1 0.0 480 0.1 0.0 169.7 14 Other Un-natural Causes 55482 17.5 4.5 64427 19.2 4.4 16.1 15 Causes Not Known 12963 4.1 1.0 15165 4.5 1.0 17.0 Total(B) 316828 100.0 25.5 336051 100.0 25.2 6.1

C. OTHER CAUSES

1 Sudden Deaths 26526 23.1 2.1 35023 52.4 2.8 32.0 2 Deaths of Women during Pregnancy 1017 0.9 0.1 1040 1.6 0.1 2.3

3 Deaths due to Consumption of Illicit/Poisonous Liquor 1699 1.5 0.1 1522 2.3 0.1 -10.4

4 Killed by Animals 886 0.8 0.1 951 1.4 0.1 7.3 5 Poisoning 20587 17.9 1.7 26173 39.1 2.1 27.1 6 Suffocation 1255 1.1 0.1 1437 2.1 0.1 14.5 7 Drug Overdose 874 0.8 0.1 750 1.1 0.1 -14.2 8 Causes Not Known 8588 7.5 0.7 @ @ @ @ 9 Other Than Above Mentioned Causes 53296 46.5 4.3 @ @ @ @ 8 Total (C) 114728 100 25.4 66896 100.0 5.3 - Grand Total (A+B+C) 451757 100.0 36.3 413457 100.0 32.8 -8.5


STATE/UT - WISE DEATHS DUE TO CAUSES ATTRIBUTABLE TO FORCES OF NATURE (NATURAL CAUSES) DURING 2015

Accidental Deaths




Natural Causes of Accidental Deaths

Cause - wise accidental deaths due to forces of nature are presented in Table-1.5. Out of 10,510 accidental deaths due to causes attributable to forces of nature, 25.1% deaths were due to ‘Lightning’(2,641 deaths), 18.2% deaths due to ‘Heat/Sun Stroke’(1,908 deaths) and 10.9% deaths due to ‘Exposure to Cold’(1,149 deaths) during the year 2015. ‘Flood’ and ‘Landslide’ caused 8%(846 deaths) and 2.2%(232 deaths) of total deaths attributable to forces of nature respectively during 2015.

The age group-wise distribution of accidental deaths by causes attributable to forces of nature is given in Table-1.5. As per age-wise classification of victims, 4.3% of such victims were below 14 years of age (453 out of 10,510 deaths), 20.0% in the age-group of 18 years to below 30 years(2,098 deaths), 29.0% in the age-group of 30 years to below 45 years(3,043 deaths) and 26.5% victims were in age group 45 years to below 60 years(1,201 deaths) during 2015. Senior citizens (60 yrs. and above) constituted 15.1% (1,590 deaths) of the total such victims.

State/UT - wise and gender - wise distribution of accidental deaths in the country by forces of nature along with their share in total deaths is presented Table-1.8. ‘Landslide’ caused 73.7%, 30.0%,10.0% and 7.4% of total deaths in Meghalaya(14 out of 19 deaths), Sikkim(3 out of 10 deaths), West Bengal(29 out of 291 deaths) and Himachal Pradesh(21 out of 283 deaths) respectively. Similarly, ‘Lightning’ caused 95.8%, 87.7%, 73.3%, 67.5%, 64.7% and 58.1% of total such deaths in Karnataka (137 out of 143 deaths), Chhattisgarh(229 out of 261 deaths), Madhya Pradesh(475 out of 648 deaths), Kerala(27 out of 40 deaths), Maharashtra(291 out of 450 deaths) and West Bengal(169 out of 291 deaths) respectively. 83.0%(196 out of 236 deaths) of deaths in Assam were due to ‘Flood’. ‘Heat/Sun Stroke’ caused 84.8%(654 out of 771 deaths) of total accidental deaths attributable to natural causes in Andhra Pradesh. 53.3%(127 out of 238 deaths) of deaths in Punjab were due to ‘Exposure to Cold’ during 2015.

Majority of accidental deaths due to ‘Cyclone’, ‘Exposure to Cold’, ‘Avalanche’, ‘Tornado’, ‘Epidemic’, ‘Torrential Rain’, ‘Forest Fire’ and ‘Starvation Due to Natural Calamity’ were reported in Uttar Pradesh which accounted for 86.7%(13 out of 15 deaths),

55.3%(636 out of 1,149 deaths), 60.5%(23 out of 38 deaths), 46.2%(6 out of 13 deaths), 92.2%(201 out of 218 deaths), 64.6%(126 out of 195 deaths), 89.5%(17 out of 19 deaths) and 40%(12 out of 30 deaths) of total such deaths reported in the country respectively during 2015. Majority of deaths due to ‘Earthquake’ were reported in Bihar which accounted for 78.3%(41 out of 55 deaths) of total such deaths during 2015.

Un-natural Causes of Accidental Deaths

It is generally accepted that accidents due to ‘Un-natural Causes’ are preventive and can be reduced by effective safety measures and safety consciousness. The accidents which occur due to deliberate or negligent actions of human have been classified as un-natural accidents.

A total of 6,63,483 cases of ‘Un-natural Accidents’ were reported in the country which resulted in 3,36,051 deaths and left 4,98,195 persons injured during 2015[Table-1.6].

The cause-wise analysis of un-natural deaths revealed that majority of deaths were due to traffic accidents which accounted for 52.8% (1,77,423 out of 3,36,051 deaths) of total un-natural deaths during the year 2015. Besides, ‘Drowning’, 'Accidental Fire’, 'Fall' and 'Electrocution' caused 8.9%(29,822 deaths), 5.3%(17,700 deaths), 5.0%(16,759 deaths) and 3.0%(9,986 deaths) of total deaths due to un-natural accidents respectively [Table-1(C)].

The age-group-wise distribution of accidental deaths in the country by various Un-natural causes along with their share in total deaths is presented in Table-1.7. Majority of victims were in age groups 30 above - below 45 years and 18 above - below 30 years which accounted for 31.4%(1,05,639 deaths) and 30.2%(1,01,502 deaths) of total such deaths respectively.

State/UT-wise and gender-wise distribution of accidental deaths in the country by various un-natural causes is presented in Table-1.9. Maharashtra with 9.5% (one-eleventh) of country’s population has reported 15.6%(51,435 out of 3,36,051 deaths) of accidental deaths due to un-natural causes. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka accounted for 9.7%, 9.1%, 8.5%, 6.9% 6.6% and 6.0% of total such deaths respectively during the year 2015.


STATE/UT - WISE ACCIDENTAL DEATHS DUE TO UN-NATURAL CAUSES DURING 2015

Accidental Deaths




Other Causes of Accidental Deaths

Under this category of classification of accidents, the Bureau has included accidental deaths which occurred due to factors other than deliberate or negligent act of human beings. In earlier publication, these accidental deaths were part of ‘Un-natural Accidental Deaths’. Now the Bureau has presented these accidents separately.

A total of 69,282 cases of ‘Other Causes of Accidents’ were reported in the country which caused 66,896 deaths during 2015. The cause-wise analysis of deaths revealed that 52.4%, 39.1%, 2.3% and 2.1% of total deaths(66,896) under ‘Other Cause of Accidents’ were reported under ‘Sudden Deaths’ (35,023), 'Poisoning' (26,173), ‘Deaths due to Consumption of Illicit/Spurious Liquor’ (1,522) and 'Suffocation' (1,437) respectively during 2015. ‘Food Poisoning’ and ‘Snake Bites’ caused 1,624 and 8,554 deaths respectively during 2015 [Table-1.10].

The State/UT-wise analysis of other causes of accidental deaths revealed that 62.7% (42 out of 67) of total deaths in Chandigarh and 61.0% (7,735 out of 12,681) of total deaths in Maharashtra under ‘Other Cause of Accidents’ were due to heart attacks during 2015. State/UT wise and Cause-wise details on ‘Other Cause of Accidents’ is presented in Table 1.11. State/UT – wise analysis reveals that a total of 7,735 out of 18,820 deaths due to heart attacks were reported in Maharashtra alone accounting for 41.1% of total such deaths in the country during 2015. Similarly, 60.9% (633 out of 1,040) of deaths of women during pregnancy were reported in Maharashtra alone. 74.9%, 70.3%, 66.8%, 66.7% and 63.6% deaths in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, D & N Haveli and Meghalaya under ‘Other Cause of Accidents’ were due to poisoning respectively during 2015.

A total of 1,624 incidents of consumption of illicit/spurious liquor caused 1,522 deaths in the country during 2015. Majority of such deaths were reported in Maharashtra (278 deaths)

followed by Puducherry(149 deaths), Madhya Pradesh (246 deaths), Chhattisgarh (140 deaths), Uttar Pradesh(125 deaths) and Haryana(115 deaths) during 2015.

Fire Accidents

Considering the number of fire accidents in the country and potential of the damage that could be caused by such accidents, the Bureau has also collected data on fire accidents according to places of occurrence for appropriate preventive strategies.

A total of 18,450 cases of fire accidents were reported in the country during 2015, showing a decrease of 9.5% during 2015 over 2014 (20,377 cases). 18,450 incidents of fire accidents caused injuries to 1,193 persons and 17,700 deaths during 2015. The cause-wise analysis of fire accidents revealed that 42.1%of total deaths(7,445 out of 17,700) due to fire accidents were reported in residential/dwelling buildings during 2015 [Table 1.12].

Large number of cases of fire accidents were reported in Maharashtra (4,087 out of 18,450), accounting for 22.1% of total such cases during 2015 [Table-1.13].

The State/UT-wise analysis of place of fire accidents revealed that 19 States & UTs have reported 50.0% or more deaths due to ‘Fire in residential or dwelling building’ during 2015. These States/UTs were A & N Island, Lakshadweep, Tripura (100% each) Uttarakhand (87.7%), Meghalaya (86.7%), Jharkhand (85.1%), Chandigarh (83.3%), Telangana (83%), Punjab (76.7%), Gujarat (73.4%) and Kerala (70.4%). Uttar Pradesh alone, accounted for 64.3% of total deaths under ‘Fire in government building’ in the country during 2015. Out of the total deaths reported under ‘Fire in commercial building’ 49.8% were reported in Karnataka. A total of 58 cases of accidental fire in trains were also reported during 2015 which caused 59 deaths in the country during 2015 [Table-1.13].


STATE/UT - WISE ACCIDENTAL DEATHS DUE TO OTHER CAUSES DURING 2015


Accidental Deaths



Accidents in Cities

The term ‘Mega City’ refers to cities which have a population of over 10 lakh or more. As per the Population Census 2011, the status of mega city has been accorded to 53 cities.

A total of 69,372 accidental deaths were reported in 53 mega cities during 2015. Maximum numbers of accidental deaths (8,286 deaths) were reported in Mumbai accounting for 11.9% of total deaths, followed by Delhi (5,930), Pune (4,665), Chennai (3,952), Bengaluru (3,733) and Jaipur (3,138).

Evidently, average rate of accidental deaths in these 53 mega cities were higher (43.2) than all India rate of accidental deaths (32.8). The rate of accidental deaths was highest in Bhopal (157.1) followed by Allahabad (116.3), Jaipur (102.2), Pune (92.4), Raipur (92.1) and Nasik (88.2) as compared to average rate for the cities (43.2) [Table-1.2].

Out of 69,372 accidental deaths in 53 mega cities; 1,688, 53,104 and 14,580 deaths were due to causes attributable to forces of nature, un-natural and other causes of accidents respectively during 2015. A declining trend has been observed in nearly all causes of accidental deaths in these 53 mega cities; deaths due to natural calamities and un-natural accidents (including other causes of accidents) have shown a decrease of 62.5% and 4.7% during 2015 over 2014 respectively [Table-1.3]

Kolkata, the third largest city in terms of population (8.8% of the total population of all mega cities) among 53 cities after Mumbai (11.4%), reported the lowest share of deaths in cities accounting for 1.1% of total accidental deaths in 53 mega cities during 2015. The comparative reporting of ‘Accidental Deaths’ during 2015 in the top four-mega cities is presented in Table-1(D).

Accidental Deaths due to Natural Causes in Cities

A total of 1,688 deaths due to causes attributable to forces of nature were reported in these 53 mega cities during 2015. Among specified causes of accidents due to forces of nature in 53 cities, maximum deaths were reported due to ‘Heat/Sun Stroke’ followed by ‘Exposure to Cold’, accounting for 12.8% and 12.1% of total such accidental deaths during 2015. All deaths in Jabalpur were due to ‘Exposure to Cold’ during 2015. All deaths in Hyderabad, 88.5% deaths in Vijayawada and 58.8% deaths in Ahmadabad were due to ‘Heat/Sun Stroke’.

Accidental Deaths due to Un-natural Causes in Cities

A total of 1,17,112 cases of un-natural accidents were reported in 53 mega cities which caused injuries to 73,870 persons and 53,104 deaths during 2015. The cause-wise analysis of un-natural deaths revealed that 36.1%, 8.2%, 5.5% and 5.4% deaths in 53 cities were due to 'Traffic Accidents', 'Falls', ‘Drowning’ and 'Fire Accidents' respectively.

Among 53 cities, Mumbai city accounted for 12.7% of total deaths reported under un-natural accidents followed by Delhi which accounted for 9.2% during 2015.

Accidental Deaths due to Other Causes in Cities

A total of 16,091 cases of ‘Other Causes of Accidents’ in 53 mega cities caused 14,580 deaths during 2015, among ‘Other Causes of Accidents’, maximum deaths were due to ‘Hearth Attacks’ followed by ‘Poisoning’, accounted for 39.0% and 22.4% of total such deaths.

“Data on City-wise information is available on our website under ‘Additional Tables for ADSI”

Table – 1 (D) Rate of Accidental Deaths in Metropolitan Cities during 2015

Sl. No. City Population

(In Lakhs) Share of

Population In Cities (Percent)

Share of Deaths In Cities (Percent)

Rate (No. of Deaths Per One

Lakh Population) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

1. Chennai 87.0 5.4 5.7 45.4

2. Delhi 163.2 10.1 8.5 36.3

3. Kolkata 141.1 8.8 1.1 5.6

4. Mumbai 184.1 11.4 11.9 45

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Documents

CHAPTER – 1 ACCIDENTS IN INDIA